Skyborn
by merf78
Summary: A new demigod unlike any other arrives at Camp Half-Blood with the power to change the course of history.
1. Prologue

My second Percy Jackson FF. I don't own anything. Please review.

Prologue-Three Years Before

Kronos stood before his troops, surveying them all. As individuals, they were worthless, true, but together they made a force no other could match. All he had to do was bide his time, use guerilla warfare against the demigods until he was strong enough to attack.

He had waited three thousand years. He could stand a few more months to be ruler of the world. And by then he would have his new form. But now he had a job he needed to do–something he needed to take care of.

He left his troops under the temporary command of Hyperion, and stalked off purposefully. He had heard rumors, and had put this off for as long as he dared allow. But now that he had nothing to distract him, he was ready to commit.

His form flickered, disappearing, and he reappeared a thousand miles away. He was in a small, quiet, European city that was centered around an enormous cathedral. And suddenly, he felt what he was looking for. The presence was so strong Kronos' knees almost buckled, and he was glad that he hadn't brought anyone along. He steadied himself with his scythe, and walked towards the presence.

He made his way to a small apartment near the cathedral. He broke open the door and stepped inside the small, neat room. In the back was an old man with a long, wispy white beard, rocking back and forth. A cane was next to him, propped up against the wall. Before Kronos could open his mouth, the old man spoke, struggling to get up.

"Hello son," He rasped. "Please sit down."

Kronos hesitated, but something in the man's voice made him sit. Ashamed of complying, he shot up again, and stared accusingly at the man.

"Ouranus," He breathed, and the word reverberated throughout the house. "I should have known that the Great Stirring would have awakened you as well. I wonder what you have been doing this whole time."

The old man shook his head.

"The Great Stirring helped, but only to give me more time. I reformed thirteen years ago, with just enough manifestable power to make myself mortal. I was never meant to stay long."

Kronos seemed uneasy, but he responded cockily,

"Yes, that is true. But what were you meant to do, then?"

When his father gave no response, Kronos looked around expectantly.

"I heard there was a boy..." He said, his voice trailing off. "That is why I have come."

Ouranus sighed, his eyes full of sadness.

"You would kill your own brother, Kronos?" He asked softly, and Kronos took a step back.

"So it's true," He hissed. "Where is he? Where is he?" He yelled. Instead of answering, Ouranus sat back infuriatingly.

"Do you know where we are, son? This is the beautiful Santiago de Compostela, a holy city in Spain. That cathedral outside is hundreds of years old, and countless numbers of people make a pilgrimage, a tradition as old as the city. To the mortals, it is ancient, but to us five hundred years is the blink of an eye."

"Just answer me, old man!" Kronos said.

Ouranus stood up, his eyes flaring.

"He will be more powerful that any of my previous children. More than the Cyclops, more than the Hundred-Handed Ones, _and more than you Kronos, than any of the Titans!_ He will be my champion, the Skyborn. He will restore peace to his generation, especially when Gaia awakes. My treacherous wife." Ouranus shook his head.

"You understand what I will have to do now, don't you," Kronos said slowly, his scythe becoming a sword. "I want you to die–at my hand once again–knowing that I _will_ find the boy. And when I do, I will kill him." Ouranus looked at his with a calmness that uneased Kronos.

"Good night, father," He said tauntingly, and stabbed the old man in the stomach. When he withdrew the sword, it was stained in gold and red blood. Ouranus fell off his chair, a reached to his cane. He pulled it down with what energy was left, and Kronos realized something. It wasn't a cane, it was a lever. He looked up, and a small deluge of black water fell on him. He could feel his memories of this incident slipping away.

"What have you done?" He asked his dying father, horrified. Ouranus looked at him weakly.

"That is diluted Lethe water. It will only erase this strain of memories. You will _not_ harm my child. Now, son, here is my final gift to you,"

He kicked his foot, and a starry whirlwind picked up around Kronos. He disappeared in a flurry of stars.

Ouranus watched him go. He leaned back peacefully, his work done.

His essence dissolved, floating back into the sky that was his domain.

A thousand miles away, a boy named James ran down a street, truly alone for the first time in his life.


	2. Chapter 1

This chapter takes place right before Kronos arrives at Ouranus' home. Please read/review.

Chapter 2-

His father was more harried-looking than James had ever seen him. He spoke quickly, as if he didn't have time to finish his sentences. But that wasn't even a part of the problem.

James was being thrown out of the house by his own dad.

"It will make sense in time," His father was saying. "You will understand everything some day. But for now I am sorry, son." He looked at James with haunted eyes. "So, so sorry."

"I'm only thirteen," James said, biting back tears. "I can't go by myself."

"You will have to. I'm sorry if it sounds harsh. Trust me, I do not want it to be this way. But I have no other choice. I am going to get a...visit...from someone, and I fear it will not end well."

James' fear for himself suddenly turned to fear for his dad. His dad, who had always seemed so frail, a thin wispy man with a long wispy beard.

"No, I won't leave you. Not ever."

"There is no other way. But before you go, I need you to take these two items. A feeble offering, but it is all I can give you." His father turned and walked into another room. He returned with a classical guitar and the hilt of a fencing sword broken long ago.

"Your mother's favorite," He said, handing James the instrument. "Take good care of it. She wanted you to be a master one day. If only you could have heard her play..."

"And this sword hilt, all that is left a once noble weapon. I hope you will never have to use it."

"I really have to go?" James asked softly. His father got up and put his hands on James' shoulders.

"You will understand everything. I am going to send you to America. When you go, wait for the storm to pass and make your way to New York. I will send someone to get you there. When you get there, tell them you are the son of Ouranus." He embraced his son, holding him close.

"I am proud of you," He breathed. "You will become a hero. Now, you must go."

James felt a strange but not unpleasant sensation envelope him.

"Goodbye, son." His father said, but his voice sounded far away. He looked James in the eye, and suddenly the world was fading, and those eyes were the last thing James saw.

…...

He woke up in a bustling city corner.

There was a homeless man sitting next to him, calmly watching the hordes of people walk by.

"Excuse me," James asked him timidly. "What city is this?"

"Gotten lost, have you? This is Philadelphia. City of Brotherly Love." He gave a short laugh. "Can I see the guitar?" He asked unexpectedly.

"Um...sure..." James asked, taken aback.

The homeless man took the guitar out of its case and admired it.

"Handmade?" He asked absentmindedly. He didn't wait for an answer. "Nylon strings, good condition. Very nice, do you mind if I try it out a bit?"

"Not at all," James said hurriedly.

The man set the guitar on his leg and began playing, his fingers working magic across the strings of the instrument. For a full half hour he played, while James watched in awe. Occasionally, people passing by would drop money into the open guitar case. When the man finally put it down, there was about fifty dollars in the case.

Inspired, James asked to see the guitar.

"It's your instrument," The man said, shrugging.

The moment he had the guitar in his hands, James began playing. He had never done so before, but notes were coming out almost of their own accord. It was as if he been practicing for years. Another twenty dollars fell in the case while he played.

The man smiled.

"Take it," He said, offering the money. "I think you'll need it more than me."

"Thank you, sir," James said gratefully. The man smiled again. James walked off, turning once to wave at the man again. He gave a start.

The homeless guy had disappeared, leaving no trace of ever sitting on that corner.


	3. Chapter 2

This takes place three years after James meets the homeless man. First person. I don't own anything. Please review.

Chapter 3-

I put my head down, raising my shoulders so the man in blue wouldn't see me. Not the smartest thing to be running around outside during school hours. But I sure as hell am not going to any kind of school ever again. I've spent a good deal of the past three years running from truancy officers. Maybe I'd be able to get past this one.

No such luck.

"Hey kid," The guy said, walking up to me. "Shouldn't you be in school?"

"Um...no officer, not really," I answered slowly. You'd think after a couple years I'd have some decent excuses. But I'm not a good liar. The cop stared me down. I really hate when cops do that.

"Well in that case," He said equally slowly. "I'm going to have to take you back to the station with me. Please don't make this difficult."

"No can do," I said. I turned and ran. Unfortunately for me, the cop was fast. He caught up. He shot his arm out at me, missing by an inch. However, it got close enough for me to feel a charge of electricity give me a shock.

"Holy crap!" I yelled. "Was that a taser?"

"Yes it was, kid," The cop snarled. I was starting to hate this guy even more than regular cops. He lashed out again. I dodged again, barely.

"That's just unnecessary," I said loudly. Suddenly, the officer stopped. We were right in front of the Temple campus entrance. I was so surprised by his stop that I halted running too. He pulled out a walkie-talkie.

"We have a rogue half-blood," He said. "Repeat, a rogue half-blood. This one is powerful. I am requesting back-up to assist in termination."

"What the hell is a half blood?" I asked. That was a term I had never heard before, except in Harry Potter.

The cop hissed at me, and I remembered that I was supposed to be running. I took off, but the guy was right behind me.

"Hey kid!" A voice called. "Over here!" I looked over. One of the college students was waving me over. He was tall with sandy blonde hair and a slight Australian accent. He looked about nineteen.

With few other options, I ran in his direction. Luckily, the cop kept running the other way, not noticing my change in course.

"Thanks," I said to my helper.

"Come with me," He said, and we walked onto the street.

"Um...what's your name?" I asked.

"I think a better question is what's _your _name, bro?"

"James. Just James. No last name. Now are you gonna tell me your name?" The moment after I said my name, the guy's eyes lit up like he had just received confirmation of something he had been waiting for.

"Nah, not yet. But I'm gonna ask you to make a leap of faith and trust me."

"Fine," I said. Something told me I could believe this guy.

"Now," He began slowly. "Close your eyes."

I did as he instructed, and when he nudged me to open them, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. We were surrounded by green trees and were standing at the base of a hill.

"What the..." I said. I looked at my helper, and almost fainted. He was glowing somewhat, and he seemed to be kind of taller and less substantial. But what really got me were the wings. Two pure white angel wings, right on the guy's back, and he was grinning like everything was normal.

"My name is Zephyr," He said grandly, extending a hand. "The West Wind. I have been waiting a long time for you. Do you know who you are?"

"Um, I told you already, James. Runaway kid. I got kicked out by my dad-"

"Your father!" He said unexpectedly, reverently. "Do you know who he was?"

"My dad? I think his name was something weird, Ouranus or something like that."

"Precisely!" He said, and shook his head in wonder like I had told him that my dad was the king of the world.

"Ok..." I said slowly, beginning to wonder about this guy's mental health.

"I have to get you over that hill," He said, tugging at my arm. I pulled back. I still hadn't gotten over the fact that this dude was part bird.

"Where are we?"

"New York," He said, and alarm bells went off in my mind.

"Where do you think you're going?" A voice called out. I turned around on a dime, and there was the cop, surrounded by a bunch of other cops, waving batons and guns menacingly. He took a step forward, and _changed_.

He was no longer a cop, but a woman with twin snake tails in place of legs. He was holding a bow and arrow.

"You're _a girl_?" I asked, dumbfounded. I was beginning to think that maybe I had had too much coffee or something that morning. This much crazy stuff could not be real. The cop (?) hissed, and this time it was a real snake hiss. The rest of the cops turned into snake people just like him.

"It's time for us to go," Zephyr said quietly, as the snakes began firing at us.

"You can say that again," I said, my eyes wide.

We ran up the hill, and were about to make it past this pine tree when a bunch of monsters just appeared in front of us, just as the others caught up behind us.

"_It's your life or the boy, Zephyr,_" One of them hissed. "_Queen Gaia will forgive you of your transgression if you just let him come with us. She'll convince Aeolus to promote you. You were never brave, spirit of the wind. You don't want to _die_, do you? Gaia has taught us how to end immortals now." _

My helper's mouth twitched, and his voice came out shakily.

"Go to Tartarus," He said, and threw me over all their heads. I landed softly far past the hill. For a strange moment, I had felt like I was flying. I turned, about to run back, but Zephyr saw me and shook his head.

"_But my dear, we just got back,_" The snake woman hissed loudly. I heard a yell and then everything went quiet. The monsters-and Zephyr-disappeared. Out of the woods came a bunch of kids holding swords and shields, wearing armor and orange t-shirts. Following them was a centaur, a creature I knew from stories my dad had told me, half horse and half man. He galloped over to me.

"My name is Chiron," He said warmly, extending a hand. His name struck a distant memory of the day I left my dad.

"And I am James, son of Ouranus." I told him, and his eyes widened.


	4. Chapter 3

James point of view again. Please review.

Chapter 3-

Chiron took my arm and rushed off with me into a large house. I sat down at an empty table. He paced the room back and forth, agitated.

"My first day on this job, I was told a prophecy that one day a child born of the sky would arrive in our darkest hour. It's been so long that I was beginning to...think...that that day would never come."

The way he said it, I was pretty sure he had been about to say "hope" instead of think.

"You still haven't told me what's so special about my dad having a funny name."

"Surely you've guessed by now?" He said, surprised.

"I'm still in shock. I'm not really believing anything right now." After I said this, he got down on one knee in front of me, and looked me in the eye.

"All the old Greek, Roman, and Egyptian stories are true. This is specifically a Greek camp. The children here-most of them- are the children of the Greek Gods, although we have one mortal oracle and a few visitors from other camps."

"Ok..." I said.

"Do you know who Ouranus was?" He asked me. I shook my head no.

"Ouranus was the sky. He was the eldest immortal, partner of Gaia."

"So you're saying my dad was the sky?" I asked.

"How many times do I have to tell you?" He responded, smiling.

"So does that make me different in some way?"

"You are the only demigod child of Ouranus. This makes you brother to the Titans, the Elder Cyclopses, and the Hundred-Handed Ones. You are uncle to the eldest Olympian gods, and to me as well," He said smiling. "You are going to be immensely powerful, once we train you correctly. I can tell that from the amount of Mist clinging to you even now, especially around your eyes."

"What's Mist?" I asked. "And what's wrong with my eyes?"

"Mist is what prevents the mortals from seeing monsters, gods, events, and the like. And you've never seen your own actual eyes, have you?" He said knowingly.

"Well, its been a while since I've looked in a mirror, but still. My eyes are dark brown."

"No, they're not," He said, and handed me a mirror, making a motion around my eyes.

"You're mirror is messed up," I said slowly, disbelievingly. He shook his head.

The irises of my eyes were completely black, like space. Well, not completely. They were filled with countless points of light, like stars. The "stars" were moving too, revolving around each other.

"Impossible," I said, touching my face.

"Nothing is impossible." Chiron said strongly. "You are a true son of the sky."

A thought struck me. I quickly told Chiron the story of how I got to the camp, starting with this morning and ending when Zephyr threw me in. At the end he sighed, clearly agitated.

"Is that why Zephyr...sacrificed himself?" I asked slowly. "Because I'm the son of Ouranus?"

"I'm afraid so. You see, most of the winds, including Aeolus their king, have gone over to Gaia's side. We're in a war, unfortunately. But apparently Zephyr broke free of her control, and sought to help you. You, who could be detrimental to her cause and crucial to ours. As the son of his ultimate boss, the sky, you were also probably important to Zephyr as well. This is good news. It means that not all of those under Gaia are faithful to her."

"Good news?" I asked. "They're gonna kill him. Or already have."

"Not likely. Winds are not like other immortals. Zephyr will hopefully be able to get away. And now, it is time to introduce you to the other campers. But before we go, one last order of business. When the prophecy was made, I was given this," He said, handing me a small cube of metal on a cloth. "I haven't dared touch it," He said. "I'll have a camper show you around, and you can decide where to put it." We walked outside, where it seemed like fifty or sixty campers were sitting around, waiting.

"All hail James Skyborn, son of Ouranus." Chiron said.


	5. Chapter 4

Please review. I'm also looking for beta readers if anyone is interested.

Chapter 4-

"Hey," the kid said. He was blonde with a small scar, and about my height. "I'm Jason. A son of Zeus. He's the king of the gods, and lord of the sky. But since your dad _is_ the sky, maybe you can do some of the stuff I can do." He rose a few feet in the air.

"How?" I asked, and he frowned, as if he never had really been asked that.

"I just kind of control the winds." He said thoughtfully. I shrugged, and imagined rising.

I got about an inch off the ground.

"Wow," I said. "That's cool."

He grinned.

"We can have flying lessons later. Let me show you around."

He took me around the camp, introducing me to people and showing the various cabins. He lingered at the Aphrodite cabin.

"Hey Piper," He called out. "Theres someone I'd like you to meet."

A pretty girl with brown hair stepped out from the cabin.

"Hi, I'm Piper McLean," She said brightly.

"I'm James," I said. "McLean like the movie star?"

"Unfortunately," She answered, her smile never wavering. "Well, anyway, I've got to go, I'll see you around." She went back into her cabin.

After that, we saw the various activities. I was beginning to enjoy the thought of staying at this camp, even just for the killer rock wall, capture the flag, and fighting classes. When we stopped at the forge, Jason introduced me to his friend Leo, who decided to come with us.

"Just working on a little project. I'm a son of Hephaestus," Leo said. "And I've got fire powers. So your dad is the sky? Thats cool."

Finally, the tour was finished.

"I don't know where you're gonna stay, but the Hermes cabin is a lot less crowded now," Jason began apologetically.

I shook my head.

"Take me to an open space by the other cabins," I told him. We went to a place between nine and ten, where there was a great deal of space. I took the cube from my pocket, and placed it on the ground. It expanded, becoming a door,

"Just a door?" I asked, walking around it to make sure I wasn't being fooled.

"Try going inside?" Jason offered, and I shrugged. I opened the door and went inside.

I was _not_ in Camp Half-Blood anymore.

"Holy crap!" Jason said, following me. We were in an enormous room. There was a king sized bed in the corner, with a TV that you could watch from it. ("Sweet," Leo said. "It's almost as good as my secret room.") There was a desk in the other corner, with a brand new laptop on it. There was another door that presumably led to a bathroom. But the coolest thing wasn't the room. It was the walls and floor.

They were glass, and you could see right through them. Apparently, we were miles above the ground, floating above-

"Camp Half-Blood," I said, shaking my head. I recognized the cabins below.

"This is amazing." Jason said. "I wonder what these buttons do?" He asked, pointing by the bed to a collection of buttons on the wall.

"Only one way to find out," I said. I ran over and pressed one. In the blink of an eye, the scenery changed. We were in space. The Earth was floating beneath us, and I could see the moon up close.

"Are we really up here?" I asked in wonder. Jason nodded.

"Yeah, I can sense it. So dude, I'm gonna be relying on you to warn us when the aliens come, all right?"

"No problem," I said smiling. Then I noticed something by the desk. My guitar was propped against the wall, and the sword hilt was on the desk. I never thought I'd see them again. I ran over and grabbed the instrument.

"Hey kids," a voice said behind us. I gave a start. It was the homeless guy from all those years ago. He chuckled.

"I'm not really a homeless guy," He said warmly, extending his hand. "I'm actually Apollo, god of music and medicine and poetry and stuff. And _you_ are both my grandson and great-uncle, if you can wrap your head around that."

"My grandfather?" I asked.

"Your mom's dad. I taught her to play, like I taught you. Actually, I blessed you, but its the same thing. Anyone who uses an instrument right after me immediately becomes a master at that instrument."

"Thanks,"

"Anytime. And hey cousin," He said to Jason. "How're you doing?"

"Pretty good, I like to think."

"Glad to hear that. Anyway, I've got to go, but I'd check that sword out if I were you, James." The god winked and disappeared. I shrugged and picked up the hilt.

A blade of dark energy appeared on it, and I yelped, dropping it. The energy disappeared, and it became a regular hilt again.

"May the force be with you," Leo interjected. "Oh man, this is too good. You live in space and have a light saber. I'm calling you Anakin from now on."

"Don't," I told him. He shrugged. I picked the sword up gingerly. Even with the blade of energy, it was the same weight as before. It was perfectly balanced in my hand.

"Can I see it?" Leo asked. I handed him the sword. "Theres a switch on the side here, by the thumb. Its hidden, but if you move your thumb to the right a bit-"

The energy blade became longer and thinner, the blade of a rapier.

"And to the left-" Leo continued. The blade changed once again, becoming shorter and curved, a scimitar. "Up-" For a moment, it seemed that the sword had returned to normal, but suddenly a second blade appeared on the other side of the hilt, almost impaling Leo, who yelped. "And down-" He finished slowly, holding the sword well away from his body. The sword turned back to its normal form, and began glowing hilt and all. Leo carefully grasped the glowing handle, and pulled away a perfect energy copy of the sword.

"Now _that_ is cool," Jason said appreciatively. Leo nodded.

"If you push the switch, it goes off." He said, and turned the sword off. "Here you go," and Leo handed me the sword. "Now, young Jedi, off I must be," Leo said in a perfect imitation of Yoda. He put his hand on the doorknob, and stopped.

"I'm not about to fall to my death, am I?" He asked. We shrugged. "I hope not," He said, and opened the door. "Nope," He said to himself, and walked out. Before he left, I caught a glimpse of grass outside.

"Amazing," Jason said. "I've got to go too. I'll let you think about all this, I know its a lot to take in. Trust me, I've been through it twice. I'll see you at dinner, or in the morning." He turned and left.

I looked around at the starry sky all around me.

"So this is how it begins," I thought. "A new life."


	6. Chapter 5

Please review. Note-I changed one of James' sword functions from a curved sword (scimitar) to a shield.

Chapter 5-

I woke up the next morning to a stunning display of the sun rising over the ocean. For a while I just sat there in bed, thinking about all the events of the past day. Wind gods that sacrificed themselves for me, blonde kids that could fly, a centaur that directed a summer camp. It was almost too much to take in.

I coped the way I cope with everything-by pushing it out of my head. I got out of bed slowly and went to the bathroom. I was also pleased to find that there was a closet full of clothes. I was about to change when I realized that I lived in a glass room. Call me paranoid, but I didn't want any passing aircraft or whatever to see me.

"Um...I'm about to change clothes," I said, hoping that the room would respond. Suddenly, the room went dark. A moment later, electric lights went on, and I could've been on the ground in a normal house. The walls were a dark brown. I pulled on an orange Camp Half Blood t shirt and some shorts. There was even a belt I could put my sword on. Once I was ready, the room returned to its standard of normal with the glass walls.

I stepped outside the room, and found myself out on the grass. The absurdity of it all made me laugh. I stood there for a good two minutes just chuckling.

"Camp drive you crazy already?" A voice asked from behind me. It was a girl with blonde hair and grey eyes. "I'm Annabeth. Daughter of Athena."

"I'm-" I started t say, but she cut me off.

"I know who you are," she said. "Everyone does."

"Is that a good thing?" I asked.

"It could be. You should talk to my boyfriend Percy-son of Poseidon-about it. He was the first child of one of the Big Three in a long time. Its kinda different, but the feelings people are gonna have toward you are similar. Or Jason, the kid you met yesterday. He's a son of Jupiter."

"I thought he was a son of Zeus. Or is that the same thing?"

Annabeth shook her head.

"Not exactly. He's a child of Rome, but he probably said Zeus to avoid confusing you too much. Theres also an Egyptian kid here, name of Enrique." She explained. I nodded, storing the information away in a mental box.

"So what now?" I asked.

"Now we go to breakfast. Do you remember where the pavilion is?"

"Yeah," I said. Suddenly she frowned.

"We don't have a table for you. I don't know where you'll go." She said.

"I don't care."

We went to the dining pavilion, where everyone was already seated. When we got there, she stopped short.

"I guess thats your seat," She said in a surprised tone of voice. There was a brand new table at the end of the row, as if it had always been there. It was one of the only empty seats.

I found Chiron, who was watching everybody.

"Just to be sure, but is that my table?" I asked of him. He smiled.

"Yes. But I hope you don't mind allowing someone else there as well."

"No problem," I said. "Who?"

"A boy named Enrique who is visiting us at the moment." He told me.

"Sure. I think Annabeth might have mentioned him."

"Very well, I'm sure you will get along fine." With that, Chiron set me off to get food. Once I was seated at the table, a kid I hadn't met before came with his own plate. He was tall with dark curly hair and was wearing a white shirt and black cape in contrast to the sea of orange surrounding us.

"I'm Enrique," He said, extending a hand.

"James," I responded.

"The others tell you about me yet?" He asked.

"I don't think so," I answered.

"Good. I'm a son of Egypt, meaning that my parent is an Egyptian god. My father is Anubis, the Egyptian form of Hermes."

"I didn't know the Egyptian gods had kids." I said.

"No one does." He said patiently, as if used to being forced to explain. "But thats another story."

"How did you get to here?" I asked.

"I've known these people for about a year now. We've had our share of adventures, but again thats another story. A _long_ story."

"I'm not going anywhere," I said. He grinned and shook his head.

"Yeah you are, Jason's coming this way and I bet he's got something for you."

Sure enough, Jason walked over and tapped me on the shoulder.

"Flying lesson time. You're welcome to come too," He said, referring to Enrique.

"Nah, I'm good," Enrique grinned. Suddenly, he extended a pair of wings and shot up into the air, disappearing into the sky. He waved at us from above and flew off towards the woods.

"Damn!" I yelled, jumping back and knocking over my plate. When my heart stopped going a million miles per hour I turned towards Jason. "He has wings?" I asked. "I thought he was wearing a cape."

Amused, Jason shook his head. "Everyone does. Now come on, if you want to be able to do that. I was already thinking it, but Chiron told me that you should start working on your powers if you're going to help us win this war."

Although I had heard the word before, I still found it hard to believe the camp was at war. Everything seemed so quiet and calm.

"Yeah. With Gaia. The earth Titan herself. Your dad's first wife. So your stepmom, I guess, but don't think about it that much. We're going to be fighting hordes of monsters and giants. Especially giants."

"But...but everything seems so..."

"Calm? Not for long. We haven't been attacked in a while, but its bound to happen soon. They strike us whenever they can."

"How many kids are here?"

"About eighty? But theres two other camps that are on our side. One Roman, where I come from, and Enrique's camp of Egyptian people in New Mexico. Between the three, we've got around a couple hundred demigods. Not too shabby, when you add in the satyrs and nature spirits and centaurs, plus some other random allies. Well, not so much the first two anymore. The satyrs and nature spirits love the earth, obviously. Their not always on our side."

"Oh," I said. It was a little much to take in. Jason raised an eyebrow at me.

"Anyway, let's start working on your powers, now that you know what you're up against."

"Yeah, let's."

He led me to an open area by the cabins.

"I've been thinking about this," He said as he rose a few inches off the ground. "You have to imagine the winds carrying you, like someone's picking you up. Once you're in the air, you have to be the boss and tell them where to take you."

I shrugged. Slowly, steadily, I managed to rise. Although I was shaky, it was still cool. I rose higher.

"You might want to start coming down now," Jason called.

"I just started having fun," I called back, and rose higher. I was now over ten feet above the ground.

"Look out!" Yelled Jason. I turned around, and saw a huge chariot speeding in my direction. Like a deer caught in headlights, I froze. I closed my eyes, hoping that it wouldn't hurt too much, and wishing that I was anywhere but in the chariot's path. Suddenly, I felt a tightening around my body, and when I opened my eyes I was beside the chariot. I had teleported.

"So cool," I muttered to myself, until I saw someone on the chariot point a bow at me, and fire. I concentrated, and somehow managed to teleport out of the way again, and arrived on the ground next to Jason, who was pulling a sword from his belt.

"You ready for your first taste of this war?" He asked through clenched teeth as a dozen more flying chariots appeared in the sky and began wreaking havoc.


	7. Chapter 6

First person from James' view. Please review.

Chapter 6-

I pulled out my sword, activating the regular blade, which shone into being. Jason took one look at me and swore.

"You don't know how to use that," He muttered.

"Too late now," I said, and my voice was more high pitched than usual.

Along with the flying chariots, there were foot soldiers as well. They were a mixture of tall clay warriors with misshapen faces and green insubstantial-looking people with bows.

"Nature spirits," Jason said, referring to the latter. "Damn them."

"Why aren't they fighting?" I asked, puzzled. The chariots were circling overhead and the soldiers were just standing, looking agitated.

A slow, creaking noise split the silence. At least ten enormous trees came out of the wood, walking on their roots.

"Walking trees?" Jason said, and I could tell he was puzzled. "That's a new one."

"What about them?" I asked, pointing. A woman was walking confidently behind the trees, occasionally sending bursts of purple energy into them from her fingertips. She was accompanied by another woman who seemed to give off cold.

Jason tightened his grip on his sword.

"No. I know them. The magic lady is Medea. Cold one is Khione. Goddess of snow. Both are dangerous. I don't like our odds alone against them. Not without Leo at least. He's always good against Khione-with his fire and stuff. And Enrique could give Medea a run for her money at magic."

"But why isn't anyone coming?" I asked. It was true. The camp seemed empty.

"I was about to ask the same thing," Jason muttered. "Hello?" He called out to no one in particular."

"Are the demigods all alone?" Khione called out tauntingly.

"No one can get in to help you, I've placed an enchantment around all of us. And you can't get out, either." Medea said calmly.

"Why aren't you guys destroying the camp yet?" Jason asked.

"We don't want to destroy the camp–yet. We just want the demi-Titan. And you want to come with us, don't you?" Medea said smoothly, and suddenly going with them didn't seem like such a bad idea.

"Don't listen to her," Jason pleaded. Suddenly, there was a loud noise like glass shattering.

"Yeah," A new voice said. "She's evil, and that's her favorite trick." I turned around. Leo and Enrique, with some difficulty, were approaching us. Enrique was holding out his walking stick.

"How did you get through?" Medea asked, shocked. "That was some of my most powerful invisibility magic!"

"It was pretty standard, actually." Enrique said calmly, although his hands were gripping his weapons extremely tightly. "So you guys wanna start wasting these people?" He asked us. Jason grinned.

"You bet," He turned to me. "Stay close to me."

"Tired of talking already?" Khione asked.

"Just shut up, lady," Leo spat, and summoned a wall of fire. He threw it at Khione and managed to incinerate at least two of the trees along the way. She screamed. He ran in her direction, throwing fireballs. Medea looked in distaste at the goddess.

"Attack!" She yelled at her forces. They charged.

"Jason, James, get rid of the chariots, they're the biggest threat," Enrique said. We nodded, and leaped into the sky. Jason flew right next to one of them and killed its monster occupants.

I teleported into one of the chariots. The monster inside aimed a bow at me, but I hastily swung my sword and it disintegrated into gold dust. Without a rider, the chariot plummeted. I spared a look down. Enrique was fighting with his walking stick, unleashing waves of magic. Monsters and nature spirits were flying around him, thrown by his power.

An idea wormed its way into my mind.

I teleported into the middle of the chariots. I gave Jason a look that said _Get out of the way!_ And concentrated. The remaining chariots began circling around me, slowly at first, and then faster. Pretty soon they formed an orbit around me, and the monsters inside were fighting to hang on. _What now?_ I thought. I closed my eyes, and shot my arm out towards the woods. The orbit broke and the chariots were thrown to the woods at speeds they couldn't control. I heard several loud explosions as the chariots landed.

I teleported back down to the ground, where Jason and Enrique were fighting. I pulled out my sword, and set it on the extra sword setting. Once I had the second sword, I entered the fray.

"Not so fast," A voice hissed in my ear, and grabbed my arm. I steadily felt it go numb, and my willpower drained away.

"Oh, no, you're not going anywhere with him," Enrique said, turning towards us. His eyes turned a blue-green color, and he shot a blast of energy from his hands at Medea, who dived out of the way, just in time for a clay soldier to trip on top of her. For a small second, I thought I saw the shadow of a snake on Enrique's features, but that was impossible.

"Thanks," I muttered. That had been too close. He nodded.

There were about twenty clay soldiers and nature spirits left intact. Leo and Khione were still fighting, and Medea was dusting herself off.

She yelled something at Khione I couldn't hear. Khione immediately stopped fighting Leo, and ran over to Medea. The two disappeared, taking their remaining forces.

"Not bad, guys." Jason muttered. I could tell he still wanted to kill Medea, but he would have to wait another day. "But we're gonna have to try harder if we wanna beat Percy Jackson's record."

"What?" I asked.

"Yeah, the kid killed almost like two hundred monsters of Kronos' army by himself. He's got the curse of Achilles."

"I wasn't asking about that, just look," I said quickly, holding out my arm, the one Medea had grabbed.

My veins were steadily turning black, and a pain shot through my arm like it was on fire. I almost collapsed, but Enrique and Leo caught me.

"You don't look so good," Leo said as I passed out.


	8. Chapter 7

Please review.

Chapter 7-

I woke up in a clean hospital bed, and for a moment before I opened my eyes I thought I was back home. My _real_ home.

Enrique was sleeping in a bed a couple over from mine. I wondered what had happened.

"You're awake," Piper said. She was standing next to Jason, Leo, Annabeth, and a tall guy who I guessed was Annabeth's boyfriend.

"What happened?" I asked.

"Medea poisoned you," Jason said simply. "Or cursed you or something. You're lucky to be alive. We got you here just in time. Our medic said that if you had been anyone other than you, you might have died."

"What?" I asked. He had lost me somewhere along in that sentence.

"He's saying that since you're half Titan, you're made of stronger stuff than the rest of us." Annabeth said.

"Oh. What happened to Enrique?"

"He lied when he said it was easy to get through Medea's magic. It actually was easiest to break a smaller hole through her wall of enchantments than to take down the whole thing. But when you passed out, he shattered the entire thing with a flick of his scepter. The effort made him collapse, but he's gonna be fine. There were people standing around, luckily. That's also why no one else came to help us fight Medea and Khione." Leo said.

"Oh," I said again.

"Think you can stand?" Annabeth said softly. I nodded, and got up. I put one foot down on the floor, and yelled. I looked down, and a bloody tack was rolling on the floor. I almost asked who put the tack there when I realized what color the blood–my blood–was.

Gold.

"I'm sorry, man," Leo said. "About the tack. But we needed confirmation."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"We need to know your limits and capabilities," Annabeth explained. "One of the medics said that you healed unusually fast, and that he suspected that you might be–different–from the rest of us. Now we know. You have ichor, James, not blood. The golden blood of the gods."

"What's that mean? Besides, I've bled before, and regular red blood."

"I don't know what that means," Annabeth said. "Maybe you have limits. But there is going to hopefully be time for that later. Now, is your foot alright?"

I looked at the sole of my foot. There was no mark that I had ever stepped on the tack.

"Yeah." I got up, checking the floor this time, and putting my shoes on.

"Great," Annabeth's boyfriend Percy Jackson was talking this time. "It's time for sword practice. Chiron specifically wanted me as your tutor."

"Cool," I said. Suddenly, someone I didn't know came running in. He had the legs of a goat and stubby horns on top of his head. A satyr, and the others treated him like an old friend.

"Grover!" Percy said. "How's it going?"

But Grover didn't return the casual manner. He gave me a hasty bow.

"There's someone here to see you," He squeaked. "This way."

We followed him out of the hospital. Outside was a tall man with a beard. The others immediately knelt, but I stayed standing.

"People normally kneel in my presence," The man commanded. I didn't move. He raised an eyebrow.

"Do you know who I am?" He asked.

"No idea," I said blatantly.

"Well, here's a hint, _uncle_." He said, and spat the last word out like it was a curse. The skies darkened and rumbled.

"Impressive," I said, trying to act bored. I knew now who I was talking to. "Zeus." He nodded in distaste.

"_Lord_ Zeus to you," He added.

"Whatever you say."

"And you are the Skyborn," He responded. "Son of Ouranus," He spoke the words slowly, as if he was trying to decide whether he liked the way they tasted.

"I have come down to ask a small favor of you." He said.

"What would a god want from little old me?" I asked.

"It is the general consensus of Olympus that we would a lot, safer, if you would simply pledge your allegiance to us, and recognize us as your elder superiors."

"You're scared of me," I said, realizing the truth.

"We are not." Zeus yelled. "Do you realize the implications of your birth?" He asked. I shrugged. Zeus hissed, and pointed his hand at me. A bolt of lightning shot down at me from the sky.

I _caught _ Zeus' lightning. The energy stayed in my hands. I threw it back up at the sky, and it became a lightning bolt again, fired back up at the clouds. I swear I heard a yell of protest from the heavens.

Zeus looked at me in a mixture of triumph and an emotion I couldn't quite place.

"You have power over the sky, I see." He mused. "And I would assume as well storms."

From behind us, I heard Annabeth gasp.

"Have you been told the next great prophecy?" He asked me slowly. I nodded. Jason had relayed it to me during the tour. "Than you know the line '_To storm or fire the world must fall_."

"Wait," I said. "How do you know that applies to me?"

"We don't know for sure," Zeus admitted. "But it seems likely, doesn't it? You are the son of Ouranus, the heavens. You just caught a bolt of lightning. You are powerful, and more importantly, dangerous. Thus, it would make us Olympians more at ease if we knew you had sworn allegiance to us. So what do you say?"

"I still say no." I responded. Zeus glared at me, but before he spoke I began talking. "I find it disrespectful that you think I would turn on you guys. I don't need to 'pledge allegiance' to you and acknowledge you people as my superiors. So no, I won't."

"You find _us_ disrespectful?" Zeus asked, astonished. "That was a very unwise decision you just made. You, Skyborn, will pay." The god began shining brightly, and the others turned away.

"James, turn around!" Annabeth yelled quickly.

"Not likely," I said, and stared right at Zeus as he exploded into a supernova.

The spots left on my eyes were only as bad as what could have been done on a flashlight. The others looked at me in astonishment. Percy got up hastily.

"Okay, _now_ its time for fight practice." He said. He took me over to the empty sword arena. "Before we start, there something I wanna see. In the Titan War a couple years back, the titans could do this thing where they like flicked their hands and a sent a wall of energy at us. Why don't you try that? Not at me though," He said hastily.

I turned away, and shot my hand out. A blast of energy sent a hole through the stands surrounding the arena. Percy turned toward me and whistled.

"You better not go over to the other side," He said. "I would hate to have to try and kill you."


	9. Chapter 8

Sorry for how long its taken to update. Please review.

Chapter 8-

Over the next couple weeks, Percy had me fighting for the better part of each day. Often he would watch me duel other people, and call out tips. But pretty soon he said I was getting good enough that he could challenge me more, and he would fight me himself.

The most brutal days were when he would have me fight off him, Jason, and Enrique at the same time. Even though they would go easy on me, it wore me out pretty quick.  
"Block–parry–strike–hold your ground," Percy hissed at me. I was fighting with my sword on double-bladed mode, wielding it like a quarterstaff, which I didn't actually know how to use. But Percy and the others wouldn't give me a chance to change my sword.

Finally, Enrique knocked me down with a whack across the knees with the flat of his sword. I was pretty fed up by that point. He pointed his sword at my neck.

"Give up?" He offered. I closed my eyes, teleported across the arena, activated the two-sword function on my weapon, teleported directly behind Enrique, and crossed my swords across his throat, all in about the time it takes to blink.

"_You_ give up?" I asked, while keeping an eye on Percy and Jason.

"Well played," Enrique muttered, rubbing his neck as I withdrew my swords.

Whenever I wasn't practicing my swordplay, I was working on my powers with Jason and Enrique. Along with flying and teleporting, I had learned how to control winds, create lightning, summon storms, and a few other tricks I had discovered on my own, that only I could do.

We were in the middle of the woods, hunting monsters. A couple of giant lizards had snuck up on us. It was like being cornered by two scaly green tanks with halitosis. My eyes widened, and my heart began racing.

Enrique and Jason yelped as they were hoisted slowly up into the air, along with the lizards and pretty much everything within a forty foot radius of myself. Trees made cracking sounds as they struggled to stay rooted, and a few dryads hissed at me. Slowly, I walked over to the lizards and stabbed them both, disintegrating them and earning myself a monster-dust shower.

Coughing, I turned back and released my hold on the magic. Everything fell back onto the ground, hard. Enrique and Jason got up, wincing.

"Gravity control?" Jason said. "Nice."

Another time, the camp was being attacked, about a week and a half after I arrived. It was the dead of night, and a small army of monsters made their way to the bottom of the hill. I hadn't been able to sleep, and was watching Camp Half Blood from above, until I saw red flames as the monsters set a cabin on fire. With only a moment's hesitation, I grabbed my sword, ran out of my cabin and began pounding on doors and yelling, trying to wake people. No one moved. The monsters saw me, and shot a full complement of arrows in my direction. I barely managed to teleport out of the way.

I stood still, terrified. My mind had deserted me. It was the first major group of monsters I had to fight since running into Medea and Khione.

All of a sudden, I felt all my limbs go weak, and I collapsed. I heard a whistling sound growing steadily louder, until it became a deafening roar.

A pint-sized meteor fell out of the sky, right into the heart of the monster forces. I felt a blast of heat and pressure throw me back a few yards, but I was all right. Needless to say, the monsters were obliterated.

I woke up in the hospital cabin again. Chiron was standing guard over me.

"Thank you," He said.

"For what?" I asked groggily. My mind was kind of fuzzy.

"Saving the camp," He replied smiling. "The meteor you summoned destroyed the attackers, although the effort almost killed you. I imagine Gaia's forces won't be in a hurry to return any time soon."

He turned out to be right. To this day, no one has attacked us. And luckily, I hadn't harmed any of the cabins.

Today, we were having a meeting of the head counselors from each cabin. Being the only person in my cabin, I was a head counselor by default. Enrique was invited to the discussion as an ambassador from the Egypt camp, but declined, hinting that he had a few things he needed to take care of on his own. Recently, he had been leaving more and more frequently for longer amounts of time.

"Good afternoon children," Chiron began. At the head of the table, he commanded everyones attention. "As you all know, we haven't been attacked in a while. And while it is a bit of a vacation, to say, it worries me that Gaia's forces are growing daily. And so, I say that we offer a pre-emptive strike at the heart of her forces."

We looked around at each other. It seemed uncharacteristically violent of Chiron to make this kind of suggestion, but we didn't question him.

"So we're attacking Mount Tam again?" Jason asked. Chiron shook his head.

"That was the Titan's headquarters. The giants have hidden themselves away in a place where they think they are safe, at the other side of the world. They are stationed on top of Ayer's Rock, in Australia."

Immediately, everyone began talking at the same time.

"Australia?"

"How are we going to get there?"

"Why there?"

"It'll take forever to get there!"

"Hush," Chiron spoke, and gradually everyone quieted down. "We are going to use the flying ship which the Hephaestus cabin built. The forces of the three camps will meet at the rock and attack from all directions. We need to end this war and the giant threat quickly."

"What about the gods?" Someone asked. "Don't we need gods to kill the giants?"

Chiron nodded slowly, his head turning to me. My eyes widened.

"We have one," He said softly. I looked around, to see everyone staring at me.

"What?" I asked hurriedly. "No, I'm just–"

"Just the last son of the Titan Ouranus," Chiron said sternly. "You have the golden blood of the immortals. You have power beyond that of any demigod–a god's power. The mere fact that you survived Zeus's true form, no less than the king of the gods, means that you cannot simply be a demigod. You, Skyborn, are the god that will held us defeat the giants and Gaia."

"But–" I began. "What about the other gods? Can't they help?"

"Zeus has forbidden the other gods from aiding, due to his offense. Perhaps that may change, but for the moment you are our best hope."

I opened my mouth, but no words came out.

"It is settled." Chiron stated. "A week from today, we sail for Ayer's Rock. And we will finish this war."

Everyone cheered, but my heart was pounding.


	10. Chapter 9

Please Review. Note-for those who haven't read my other fanfiction, Enrique's whole story is there. Happy Holidays.

Chapter 9–

The meeting dispersed amid rapid chattering. I went outside, far away from everyone else, and lay down on the grass beneath the night sky. I was in a small forest clearing surrounded by trees I had discovered a couple weeks before. It was a starry night, millions of lights illuminating the darkness. It was overwhelming to think that my dad had been the personification of all that. I wondered if some part of him was looking down on me. Watching.

I didn't even know if my father was still alive. I hadn't exactly been able to afford a plane ticket back to Spain. And for a long time, my memories of him were tarnished. I felt abandoned. I had hated him periodically. Now I just felt melancholy whenever I thought of him.

I'd never met my mom. Whenever I had mentioned her, my dad would look away with such an expression of pain and regret that I would drop the subject immediately. The most I had ever gleaned was that she had died before I turned two.

I must have laid there for an hour, going through nearly sixteen years of bad and worse memories, when I heard footsteps. I sat bolt upright, a hand on my sword.

"Who's there?" I called out.

"Relax," A girl's voice said. I looked around to see one of the friends I had made in my short time at camp walk up to me. Her name was Ellen, and she was a daughter of Nyx, the night goddess. Being the only person in her cabin, like me, she was automatically a head counselor and had been at the meeting. She was my height and age, with green eyes and black hair. She was one of the best marks-women at camp, absolutely deadly with a bow and arrow. I had met her at target practice, which I sucked at. Laughing, she told me that I was holding the bow in the wrong hand, and my aim improved considerably. Since then, she had seemed to be at target practice at the same time I was, or maybe it was the other way around. We'd started running into each other outside of practice, too.

She sat down next to me, and I'd be lying if I didn't say that my heart began beating a little faster. I tried to think of something witty to say, while at the same time realizing that the longer I took the more awkward the moment became. Just as I opened my mouth, she spoke.

"People are worried, you know." She said softly, without looking at me. "They think you've run away. That you're scared."

"I don't really care what people think, actually. But I'm not worried. At all." I replied, lying through my teeth.

"It's alright to be scared, James," She answered, turning to face me. Her eyes seemed to shine through the darkness.

"How did you know where I was?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

"We're more alike than you realize," She responded, looking down again. "Your father's the sky. My mom's the night. I used to come to this same spot sometimes, and just watch the stars."

"Oh." And I thought I had discovered this hideaway.

"Can you believe we have to go to Australia?" She asked, her tone much less serious. I shrugged.

"And fight giants," I added slowly. "I don't know if I can do it. Jason told me about them. They're–well, gigantic. They can throw mountains. They probably use Ayer's Rock as a dinner table or something."

"Theres nothing I can tell you that Chiron didn't say at that meeting," She said frankly, looking me in the eye. "But for what it's worth, I think you're going to do amazing. _This _is why you're here. You're going to save the world."

I started to say something–maybe to protest, maybe to thank her–but she cut me off.

"There's still a week left before we leave. A lot can happen in a week." She finished, and I had the slightest feeling she wasn't just talking about me becoming more powerful.

I nodded, holding her gaze. Without another word, we lay back and watched the stars in the sky.

…...

"The hell have you been?" Percy asked, but he seemed more amused than angry. The entire camp had watched Ellen and I tiptoe out of the woods early that morning, and put two and two together and devised some false theories as to what had happened. I couldn't walk two feet without someone cracking a joke, and my back hurt from falling asleep on the ground.

Inevitably, Percy insisted on more training. Except he promised that this time it would be "fun."

"We're doing a full camp capture the flag game." He explained. "So full armor."

"Don't get him too excited yet." A familiar voice called. "It's boys versus girls, and he might want to jump on the girls team so he doesn't have to fight Ellen."

We turned around to see Enrique walking toward us, limping heavily on his walking stick.

"How long have you been at camp?" Percy asked.

"Long enough to hear 'bout this kid," He said, pointing at me. "How's the girlfriend?"

"She's not my girlfriend!" I answered hotly. "And nothing happened."

"Whatever you say." He answered, his eyes, twinkling.

"What happened to your leg?" Percy inquired once he stopped chuckling. Enrique looked uneasy.

"Snakebite." He muttered quickly. "Poisonous, but luckily a healer was nearby."

"So are you still gonna be fighting with us today?" Percy asked. Enrique grinned.

"Dad didn't give me wings so I could walk around all the time," He answered. "So yeah, I am. I'll be a one man air force."

"Glad to have you joining us. The guys are gonna meet in Cabin Eleven in a half hour. Sound good?"

"Yessir," Enrique said. He gave a mock salute, and flew away, almost giving me a heart attack.

"I am _never_ going to get used to that." I said.

"You do the same thing." Percy replied quizzically.

"I don't have wings," I responded. Percy shrugged.

"How did he get here, anyway?" I asked. I had been wondering that for a long time now. Same with Jason.

"It's a long story," Percy answered.

"He told me the same thing."

"He would. It doesn't really show him in the best light."

"Give me the short version."

"Let's just say he wanted something, we didn't give it to him, he attacked the camp, we gave it to him, we went to his camp for a little while, we attacked a bunch of scorpions and Lycaon, some demon-summoning went on, Enrique killed Lycaon, Lycaon's army killed Enrique while we ran away, and than Enrique came back to life. Voila. Here we are today."

"Huh?" I asked, confused. Then something Percy mentioned struck me. "Go back to the part where Enrique was killed."

"Maybe we just saw it wrong," Percy began slowly. "But I don't think so. Nico–son of Hades, he's been here once or twice–felt him pass on. He was killed by an army of monsters. And then later he comes back to camp, unscathed."

"How?" I asked.

"He _is _the son of Anubis," Percy said, with a thoughtful look on his face. "The funerary god. Maybe his dad pulled some strings or whatever. I've actually got no clue."

I stood back, my mind in overdrive. How could someone come back from the dead? Something about that didn't seem right to me.

"Look, don't worry about it too much. You'll get a headache," Percy insisted, interrupting my train of thought. "Let's get in some last minute sword practice. There's a couple tricks I still want to show you, from my Titan-fighting days."

I blinked, and nodded without thinking. We walked off to the sword arena.

Half an hour later, every guy head counselor was crammed into Cabin Eleven. Despite the general chaos, we managed to get ourselves somewhat organized.

"First things first, we need to choose a couple generals," Travis Stoll said hopefully, drawing himself up.

"Percy," Someone called out. There was a murmur of agreement and Travis deflated a little bit.

"I want to have a co-general," Percy said. He turned toward me. "James."

"We can't trust him to make executive decisions when his girlfriend is on the opposing team," Leo called out pompously, and there was a small explosion of laughter. He exchanged a high five with Enrique. I stared at my feet, giving up on insisting that nothing had happened.

"He's co-general whether you like it or not." Percy repeated. "And you better like it," He added ominously, and everyone shut up.

"So here's the plan," Percy began. "We're going to have–"

"A big diversion from the front and right, and then a small group of people to steal the flag from the left. And we're going to leave tight ring around our own flag." Jason called out.

Percy looked startled. "You know me too well," He said.

"So who's who?" Jason asked.

"We're going to have the bulk of the cabins charging from the front, led by Enrique and Jason. Then I want Hephaestus, Apollo, and Ares coming in strong from the right. Finally, I want the Stolls and James to actually steal the flag. I'm going to stay behind to help guard our flag. Sound good?"

There was a murmur of assent throughout the guys.

"Good. Then suit up, everybody. No need for anyone to die today. James, can I see you a minute?"

I walked up to him.

"Chiron told me to tell you that you're not allowed to teleport with the flag–unfair I guess. But that's not what I called you here for. I have a plan only you can know."

He whispered the details into my ear and slipped the necessary items in my hand. I stepped back and stared at him in a new light. I nodded.

"You SOB," I said admiringly. "That's genius. The Stolls won't like it though. Not one bit."

"That's why I made you co-general. They can't argue with a superior." He patted me on the shoulder. "We gotta win this one, man. Annabeth can't beat me again."

He walked off towards his cabin to get ready before I could say another word.

Fifteen minutes later, the game began.

…...

I had expected the armor to be uncomfortable and heavy, but on the contrary, it was deceptively light and flexible. Percy told me he had Hephaestus cabin make it for me so I could still fly and stuff. Regular armor would weigh me down too much. My armor was dark blue with a star insignia on the shoulders. Perfect for night. Not so much for a capture the flag game under the sun. Luckily, however, the sun was due to set soon. Percy wanted me to wait to maximize on my advantage.

I wasn't the only one with custom armor. Enrique had a special suit that changed color according to his surroundings and included armored panels for his wings. Wrapped around each of his bare wrists was a bracelet of cloth bandages. His sword hung sheathed by his side.

The moment Chiron signaled the start of the game, there was instant chaos. Percy was yelling over everyone else's chattering. He wanted the first wave to charge immediately.

"Go! Go! GO!" He called, waving his arms in the direction of the girls base.

We were stationed at Zeus' Fist, a large rock formation, relatively close to the camp. The girls were on the other side of the forest, in a remote clearing. The size of our teams was just about equal. To get there, you needed to weave through a maze of trees. To get there without being noticed, you needed to do so stealthily and silently. Not really our strong suit. But then again, the first wave he sent off was only a diversion.

When Percy yelled the departure of the first wave, Enrique jumped into the air, while Jason stayed on the ground. They went off into the woods as one.

Ten minutes later, Percy received the signal from Enrique, an explosion of sparks in the sky to signify that they had arrived and engaged the girls in combat. He then ordered the second wave, led by Leo (who was currently on fire) to go ahead.

Me, Percy, the Stoll siblings, Chris Rodriguez, and Will Solace of the Apollo Cabin were the only ones left. We waited for something to happen, but nothing did. I glanced between the setting sun and Percy. After what seemed like an eternity, the sun dipped below the horizon, and Percy gave me the go ahead. He made an almost imperceptible motion with his foot, and I nodded slightly. I had taken the things he had given me earlier and put them in a small pouch, which I had tied to my ankle.

The Stolls and I shot up, and ran off into the darkness of the woods. Despite being generally loud and wisecracking, they could be silent as a grave when they wanted to. Fast, too. I had to run to keep up.

"We're almost there," Connor whispered, barely audible. I nodded. Finally, we reached the edge of the clearing, directly behind the girl's fort where they kept prisoners. The fort was actually a half-underground metal bunker. On top of the fort, the flag was waving, taunting us. About three girls patrolled the fort, making rounds while brandishing weapons and looking around suspiciously. To ease travel, the Stolls carried no weapons. I was allowed my sword because it was just a hilt. All we had to do now was sneak up, climb the fort, and grab the flag.

"Careful now," Travis said. When the girls disappeared to the other side of the fort, we ran up.

"I think it's safe to say we won," I said loudly. Travis and Connor looked up in horror. Within seconds, the girls had surrounded us and pointed their weapons. I didn't recognize them, but apparently they had been on the receiving end of one of the Stolls' pranks, because they took a great amount of glee in capturing them.

They dropped us off in a cell inside the fort, and one girl stayed behind to stand guard against us. One of the perks of Camp Half-Blood capture the flag was that it was ok to escape from the prison if you could pull it off. I examined our cell. It was an actual prison cell with bars, and a lock on the door.

"This is something," I said. "I think us guys have just got a line in the dirt."

The Stolls gave me a dirty look and turned away, giving me the cold shoulder. If they were upset now, they would be spitting fire soon enough. I sat down in the corner and removed the pouch from my ankle. Inside were two small spheres, each half the size of a chicken egg. One was made of metal and had a small switch. The other was simply a glass sphere that contained a yellowish gas.

"_Get yourself captured," Percy had explained. "When you're in the cell–" He picked up the metal sphere. "Use this as a diversion. It's a small, silent flash grenade. It'll temporarily blind anyone looking at it, but I figure you're immune to bright lights, after what happened with Zeus. Once this goes off, step on _this_ one quick." He held up the glass sphere filled with gas–knockout gas. "I'd recommend holding your breath. Once the Stolls and the guard are out, get up and listen for the guards to pass. It'll be night by then, and you should be pretty invisible in your armor, except for those damn stars on your shoulders. I told them to leave it plain but–nevermind. Fly up there, grab the flag, slide back down, and get back into the woods. From there it'll be a straight shot back to our side of the forest. And we will have won."_

_ "Question," I had asked. "Why do the Stolls need to be unconscious? And why can't I just blast everyone out of the way?"_

_ "That's because it's easier for one person to escape then for three. And they won't suspect a thing. They wouldn't dream that you would actually knock out your own teammates. And to answer your second question, silent and effective is always preferable to loud and obnoxious. Also, Chiron really doesn't like it when you use potentially lethal magic powers on fellow half-bloods. So you think you can do this?"_

Our guard was engaged in a verbal spar with Connor Stoll through the bars of the cell. They were arguing about chocolate rabbits on a cabin roof, or something like that.

"Hey everyone!" I said brightly, no pun intended. Everyone looked at me. I flicked the switch on the grenade and threw it on the ground. Although the grenade itself was silent, there was a short collective yell from the three of them as the bright light exploded in their eyes. Just like Percy predicted, the light didn't affect me. I rolled the glass sphere onto the ground, took a deep breath, and stomped on it. The glass shattered under my foot, releasing the gas. Within ten seconds, they would all be out. But I was already gone.

I blasted the cell door away with a flick of my hand, and ran upstairs, waiting by the door. I heard footsteps gradually grow louder and become softer. I tiptoed out, as silently as possible. It was almost completely black outside. I flew carefully up, and landed gracefully on the roof. I placed a hand on the flag and was about to take it, when the two girls entered my field of vision. And if I could see them, they could see me.

I stood still. Any movement could give me away. I had to trust that my armor would make me invisible in the night. Luckily, they didn't look up, and kept walking. Slowly, I picked up the flag, and slid down the angled roof of the fort. I hit the ground running. No sense in wasting any more time.

I breathed a little easier when I reached the cover of the woods, but I pushed myself to run faster. Minutes later, I heard the sounds of the creek that was the boundary, and I grinned slightly.

"Where do you think you're going?" A voice called out. I turned around. Annabeth was walking toward me, her knife drawn, and Ellen was beside her, smiling wickedly, an arrow aimed at me. I backed away slowly.

"Crap," I muttered. I had been afraid of this.

"Turn and run," Annabeth taunted. "I dare you."

"You wouldn't shoot me," I said to Ellen, slightly desperately. I was too close to fail my team now.

Ellen tapped the arrowhead.

"Blunt arrows," She replied evenly. "They'll hurt a lot. Knock you out if I hit you in the right place. But they won't kill you. So yeah, I would shoot you. Sorry."

I placed a hand on my sword and clenched my teeth, bracing myself. I slowly took off my shoe, to the bewilderment of my adversaries.

"_One last thing," Percy told me right when I was leaving. He tossed me a second flash grenade. "Just in case."_

I cautiously removed the sphere from a special compartment in the sole of my shoe. Annabeth and Ellen looked at me curiously but did nothing as I put my shoe back on.

"I want you to know," I said slowly. "This is going to hurt me at least as much as it hurts you. Just a different kind of hurt." I flicked the switch, and tossed it onto the ground.

For a moment, time froze. The grenade rolled on the ground. And then it exploded into blinding white light.

I turned around and ran as fast as I could, the girls' protests behind me. An arrow whizzed past my ear, and I realized that Ellen was shooting blindly. I ducked just in time as another flew through the spot where my head had been. Even when she couldn't see, she was a good shot.

Annabeth's knife embedded itself into a tree right next to me, and my heart stopped for a moment. Luckily, she only had the one.

I ran still faster, and the creek came into sight. I jumped right across, just in time to see a girl sprinting across with our flag in her hand. When she saw me, she stopped short, and threw down our flag. Percy ran up to me.

"WE WON!" He yelled, and the cry reverberated throughout the guys. A bunch of them lifted me up on their shoulders and paraded me around.

So this is what victory feels like, I thought to myself. Hopefully a sign of things to come.


	11. Chapter 10

Really sorry for the delay. I've been working on a book. Please review.

Chapter 10–

The ground was rumbling beneath my feet, and my heart was pounding. My sword felt heavy in my hand. I looked up at the stone mound in hundreds of yards in front of me. We were at the threshold of the Mist. Any closer, and we'd see our enemy.

This place had haunted my dreams for the past week. And now we were here.

Behind me stood the forces of Camp Half-Blood, Tut, and Romulus, as well as the Hunters and some of Poseidon's Cyclops army (Percy had begged his dad for help). At my side were the leaders of the three camps: Percy Jackson, Jason Grace, and Enrique along with two other Egyptians. I was granted an honorary position beside them. Together, our army was a little less than five hundred strong.

We looked at each other. Slowly, we nodded.

"CHARGE!" Roared Jason, sword in the air. From the hundreds of our forces rose a collective yell as we rushed towards Ayer's Rock.

The scene changed vividly. Waiting in front of us was the Giant's own army of demons and monsters. Our army ground to a halt.

"My god," I heard Jason breath.

Imagine every nightmare you've ever had–the countless monstrosities you've seen in your dreams. Demons with bloodlust in their eyes, misshapen hulking behemoths that could crush you with a fist, screeching winged creatures whose cry alone made you want to curl up into the fetal position, and countless more. All were armed with bows and swords and axes. That was the giants' army, which nearly doubled ours.

Then the Giant's themselves–eleven of them. The word _huge_ didn't do them justice. Take the biggest building you've ever seen, square it, throw in a couple more buildings for good measure, and then maybe you'll have something close to what we were facing. Yeah. That big.

For the moment, neither side was doing anything. The giants just stood there, small grins on their faces like they had already won.

I don't know why, but those smiles made me angry. I closed my eyes. _Dad_, I prayed. _If you're out there, somewhere–help us. _I pictured my father standing before me, my father who was the sky and heavens. It wasn't just my imagination–I felt as if he was actually there. He put a hand on my shoulder and nodded.

I opened my eyes, and this time I was grinning. My hands began glowing with a dark fire, and I extended my arms. Slowly, I rose into the air–ten feet, fifty feet, a hundred feet. I rose until I was eye to eye with the nearest giant. I concentrated, focusing my power. The skies darkened and rumbled.

A hundred arrows were shot in my direction, but I casually sent them back to their owners with fatal accuracy.

With a noise like thunder amplified a thousand times, the sky twisted into an black hole and began picking up enemy monsters. When a monster was lifted up into the sky, it began disintegrating and the ashes were absorbed into the sky. In less than two minutes, two thirds of the enemy soldiers were gone. At that point, I was having trouble holding on the power and had to let it go, or risk losing control of it.

With my hands still engulfed in black flame, I alighted onto the ground to a massive cheer from my side. With a collective yell, the battle began.

I drew my sword and charged the first giant I saw, yelling at Jason and Percy to come to my side. Our army would hopefully make short work of the monsters so we could focus on the bigger threat.

The giant squinted down at us and drew his weapon, a club the size of the Empire State Building. He roared and smashed it onto the ground, and the shockwave sent the three of us flying.

He picked it up again, and hefted it over his head. He looked down at the ground to try and aim.

"Hey ugly!" Yelled Percy. He jumped out of the way as the giant slammed his weapon onto the ground.

Here's the thing about clubs and other bashing weapons–they may be good at smashing stuff, but they have none of the agility of a sword, and are a lot more unwieldy. I jumped onto the club and from there, teleported to his shoulder. I placed my hand on the back of his neck. The dark energy completely engulfed his body, and he screamed in agony.

"Now!" I yelled, looking at Jason. I saw Jason furrow his eyebrows, and a moment later an enormous bolt of lightning struck the giant in the chest. The giant gave a final cry of pain, and collapsed, still on fire, crushing another few dozen of his own army.

One down, ten to go.

The next few hours passed in a blur. I had one goal in my mind–eliminate the giants. I was on autopilot.

My next victim fell to the likes of me and Leo, who was in full Human Torch mode. I stabbed the giant in the back of the neck while Leo tossed homemade Molotovs at him.

It barely felt as if the giant's were putting up a fight, thanks to my dad's blessing. And Chiron's theory had been proven correct–I was close enough to a god myself to help kill them.

Finally, there were only three giants left, Porphyrion and two of his brothers. All of the monster army had been destroyed, and our army had backed the three against Ayer's Rock. Everyone with a bow had it aimed, ready to fire directly at them.

An idea formed in my mind. I tossed my sword into the air, and it began glowing. I closed my eyes, and it grew to the size of one of the giant's own weapons. I was able to control it with my mind.

"Fire I yelled. Two hundred arrows flew at one of the giants at the same moment I stabbed him. He made no noise as he fell.

The remaining giants stared at us with raw hatred in their eyes. My sword flew back into my hand, regular size once again.

"And then there were two," I called out to the giants.

"We will avenge our brothers," Porphyrion hissed. "Perhaps with a bit of...help."

Enrique, who was standing next to me, flinched.

"No!" He yelled as the ground began shaking. An enormous serpent, twice as long as the giant's were tall, erupted out of the earth. He was the definition of a monster, with six listless red eyes and fangs that would have made a Tyrannosaurus weep for his mom.

Enrique took a step forward, shaking. His walking stick, now a scepter made of black ore, began glowing. He pointed it at the serpent.

The serpent hissed.

"Going to kill me with your iron toothpick?" It asked tauntingly. It didn't speak normally, in that it's mouth didn't move. Instead, I heard a deafening voice ring through my ears that unmistakably belonged to the snake.

"I've done it before, Apophis." Enrique hissed back. The serpent reared it's head back and laughed coldly.

"That was because I let you," Apophis responded softly. "I let you take my power," He repeated, more loudly.

"That doesn't change the fact that I have your power in my veins," Enrique retorted.

"The thing is," The serpent replied smoothly. "I have my power as well." He roared, a deafening wall of sound erupting from his mouth that pushed us all back a few paces. I knew I would never forget the noise for as long as I lived. Even the giants winced.

"Let everyone here know," The demon serpent roared in our minds. "That _this _demigod returned from the dead–with my aid. Let everyone know that we have become one and the same. Let everyone know that his will is mine. Let everyone know that he has hidden this all from each and every one of you. And then ask yourselves if you still trust him with your cause."

My eyes widened. It couldn't be true. I looked at Enrique, who turned around, fear and shame written all over his face.

"I can explain," He began quickly.

"Kneel in front of me," Apophis whispered. "Kneel and declare your devotion to Gaia like the traitor you have become."

Enrique spun around, his face contorted.

"Never," He responded.

"Kneel," Apophis insisted calmly, but it was evident that his words carried power. Enrique's knees buckled beneath him and he dropped his weapon.

"Now, say how you will serve Gaia."

"I–I will." Enrique said, to a gasp from our army.

"Now, turn around and help us exterminate your friends."

Slowly, painfully, Enrique turned. His eyes were full of regret as he picked up his scepter. The scepter began glowing. He launched a wave of energy that sent a dozen demigods flying–including me.

Things really began taking a turn for the worst at that moment.

Our army was being decimated left and right. Even without any soldiers, the two giants, Apophis, and Enrique were destroying us.

I decided that I would try and get to Enrique, and snap him out of whatever spell he was under. I flew at him like a bat out of hell, hovering in front of him, my sword drawn. He hissed, and turned.

"I know what you're going to try and do," He said, and there was real pain in his voice. "But it's too late. _You can't help me_."

"That's not going to stop me from trying," I retorted, rising a bit higher. Enrique looked me in the eye. His were shining green and gold.

"I'm sorry," He whispered. He spread his wings and launched himself into the air. He dove at me with his ivory sword, lashing out furiously. It was all I could do to deflect his strikes as we rose high into the air.

The problem, I soon realized, was that he was a hell of a better flyer than me. His movements through the air were a lot more natural and effortless than mine. Also, he could keep going all day, while I was getting more tired by the second. I had to do something, quickly.

I looked at Enrique, released my hold on the power keeping me up,and dropped like a stone. He watched me fall, too surprised to follow. Time seemed to grind to a halt.

In a blur, I teleported right behind him.

Here's something you should know about that particular power of mine–when I teleport, its not a one stop trip. In the second that it takes me to get from point A to point B, I pass through _somewhere. _Think of it like skipping rocks, where I'm the rock. Your hand is my starting place, the first skip on the water is that _somewhere, _and the second skip is the place I'm trying to get to.I'm not exactly sure where it is that I pass through, but once I opened my eyes during the second I was there, and caught a glimpse of darkness and stars.

Here's another thing you should know–I have _never, ever_ taken someone with me while I'm teleporting with me. I'm not sure they would survive the journey. I know Enrique has teleported with people, but his method works differently. He can only do so while he is on the ground, first of all, and it works best through sand. He basically travels through the earth. I've always been terrified of the possible outcomes of taking someone along with me.

Anyway, in the split second before Enrique turned around, I grabbed him, and we disappeared.

Instead of passing over the "first skip," I focused my mind. And _stayed there_. Enrique lay on the ground, gasping.

"Are you all right?" I asked. With wide eyes, eyes that were their normal color, he turned to me. He nodded, a horrified look on his face.

"What have I done?" He whispered. He looked at me with a kind of hurried apology. "You have to understand…Apophis…he knew my true name…the scales…too heavy…"

I did what any reasonable person would have done to stop his rambling, and slapped him across the face. He blinked once and stood up.

"Thanks." He glanced at the scenery around us. It looked like we were standing on some sort of lone, large asteroid-like object. Far in the distance, all I could see were stars.

"Where are we, anyway? Is this limbo? I hate limbo." Enrique asked.

The funny thing was, the longer we were there, the more I knew about the place.

"Not limbo exactly. Somewhere far away from Earth. But still the same dimension. And I feel the strangest thing, like a presence." I explained. I looked him in the eye, and he flinched.

"Shit, that's creepy," He muttered.

"What?"

"Your eyes match the background _exactly_. And their glowing."

I shrugged. "Why are you back to normal all of a sudden, anyway?"

"My theory is that when you brought me here, you broke the hold Apophis had on me. I'm one hundred percent Enrique."

"Not for long," A voice hissed. Enrique turned pallid. Apophis shimmered into existence before our eyes.

"It took me much too long to locate you two. I must be getting old." He turned and snarled at me. "You just cost me the best servant I've had in _eons_, Skyborn. For that, you shall pay."

"No." Enrique said, firmly.

"Quiet," Apophis said. "Your soul will be mine soon enough, as soon as I remember your true name. Until then, I shall dispose of this nuisance."

"Not if I destroy you first," Enrique retorted, remarkably brave for a guy facing a monster literally hundreds of times his size. Apophis was unfazed, rolling all six of his eyes.

"You can't destroy an immortal, fool."

"I've done it before."

"Oh, have you? That weakling Lycaon?"

"Well, he has me on his side, which has to count for something," I called out, but my voice was shaking.

"No, I don't," Enrique insisted. "You have to go back. The others need you more than I do. There are still two giants left, and as long as you're here they can't be killed."

I was about to protest when Apophis cut me off.

"The self-sacrifice of mortals is always touching, but I simply can't allow this one to leave." The serpent interjected, and lunged at me.

I was paralyzed by fear as my life flashed before my eyes. Apophis was about to finish me off in one bite when something stopped him. An enormous hand blocked him. The hand belonged to an equally enormous, yet somewhat insubstantial, figure, what looked like an angel with the head of a jackal. Visible at it's heart was Enrique. The figure wielded a sword and scepter that were exact replicas of Enrique's. When Enrique moved, the figure moved.

"I pity your foolishness, son of Anubis. Even with your spell, I am infinitely stronger."

"Try me," Enrique said through the figure's mouth, spreading his arms wide. It was his voice, but amplified a thousandfold. Before the snake could move, he blasted a bolt of energy that was bright enough to momentarily leave me blinded.

Apophis hissed, and turned towards mega-Enrique. In the process, the end of his tail hit me like a baseball and sent me flying, an experience only slightly preferable to being hit by a freight train.

I stopped my fall in mid-air while they began fighting. Apophis lunged and bit, but Enrique had magic and weapons. He slashed with his sword and shot blasts of energy at the snake. I picked up my own sword and ran towards them. Enrique turned around and fixed me a long, regretful, look. Then he picked up his sword and stabbed the ground.

A crack erupted where his blade struck the ground. The rocky surface fractured like glass and the crack encircled Enrique and Apophis. With a massive tearing sound, a piece of the asteroid we were on separated and spun away into the void, with Enrique and Apophis still fighting on it. Apophis' form flickered for a moment, and I knew he was trying to get away. However, Enrique jabbed the serpent with his scepter, and electricity arced down Apophis' spine. The snake solidified and I realized he couldn't disappear like he wanted to. Neither, however, could Enrique.

I watched with growing horror as they grew smaller in the distance, until they were gone. I dropped my sword and fell to the ground. I kneeled there for a moment with my eyes closed, disbelieving. Shaking myself, I picked up my weapon and teleported back to earth.

I was on the ground, at the back of the army. Our soldiers were fighting the giants, and actually seemed to be doing ok. I was about to charge towards them when I heard a voice yell.

"There he is!" Cried Annabeth. I turned around and almost fell over. An enormous flying battleship was headed my way, with eight people on top. Seven were evidently campers, while the last had the bottom half of a horse. When it reached me, someone tossed a rope ladder over the side so I could climb up. Shaking my head, I made to teleport up to where they were standing, and found that _I couldn't._ Before I could contemplate this, Chiron yelled at me to hurry. I climbed the ladder.

"What's going on?" I asked, looking around. Besides Chiron and Annabeth, Percy, Clarisse, Jason, Piper, and Leo were present, as well as Rachel.

"We need to leave." Chiron urged.

"Why?" I asked, dumbfounded. "The giants are still here!"

"It's more important than that," He replied.

"How?" I responded incredulously. "What could be more important that finishing off the giants?"

"It won't matter if Gaia awakes, _which she is_ doing right now," Leo interjected. I turned towards the six campers, and me. Seven total.

"I guess it's prophecy-fulfilling time." I said.


End file.
